Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-10-06
IOwA'S INSANE.
Fourteenth Bienniai Report OF the
Hospital NJ MT. Pleasant.

The fourteenth biennial report Of the
Iowa hospital for the insane at Mt. Pleas
ant FOR fiscal years OF 1885 aud 1887 has
been received at the Governors office,
The report occupying 200 pages, conta, rs
great deal Of interesting information In
regard to lowa's unfortunate insane and
tho home provided for them by the State
The report OF the superintendent calls
attention to- the alarming increase Of In.
sanity, and, In speaking OF Its cause. OBJ
serves:
In many larger cities II appears that
the rush to accumulate wealth, and the
over-work resulting therefrom, the anx'
ietY on account OF ventures In stock and
bucket shop manipulations, and tho dis.
slpation and irrcguarity Of living among
devotees OF pleasure. which has obtained
since the late war 10 an extent never be-
fore practiced, all these have contributed
to cause disease OF the brain and nervous
system of thousands and entail the dircful
results upon their children.
But he finds still more prolific cause
in the immigration Of the lower classes OF
Europe
European countries becoming over
whelmed by the cries and demands OF the
defective. criminal and medicant classes,
whose misforlunes and crimes are largely
due to the grinding hand of monarchi-
ca, system Of government, or the corrupt
social system, born and nurturcd In royal
ty, have sought sewer for the elimina
tion Of these masses Of corruption and
decay. They have fixed on the ocean as
q channel and our country as the objec
tive point which they propose to make a
cess pool for their cleansing. Patients
are brought TO our doors who have been
shipped from various foreign ports, placed
on the railroad train at Boston or New
York and dropped oil in some Of our
towns just long enough to be arrested,
taken before the Commissi oners and for
warded to the hospital by the next train
Against this class Of immigration he
suggests that the government maintain as
strict quarantine as against any form OF
pestilence. and asks our next legislature
to memorabilia Congress for some inter.
national law that shall crush out this
evil
The total of those who have during
these two years received hospital treat.
ment reached 1911 different persons,
seyen hundred and sixty men and FIVE
hundred and 1fty-one women. During
this time there have been received seven
hundred and sixty.seven; four hundred
and sixiy-nine men and two hundred
and ninety eight women, or thirty'seven
more than an average Of one per day for
the entire period From the table OF the
nativity of the patients admitted 1t APP
pears that since the beginning Of the
institution, Ohio has furnished 1923 In
mates Iowa 1,012, Great Britain 84l,
Germany $50, Sweden 1856 and the bal
ance distributed among other States and
nationalities.
The report Of the trustees shows that
100000, appropriated by tho Twenty.
first General Assembly for new build.
ing. has been economically expended ms
instructed, and the new building will &C,
commodatc two hundred patients, The
trustees ask for an appropriation of'some'
thing like $780, 600 from the next Legsla
ture for additional and needed improve.
ments